Weighted hearts
by BeautifulWonderland256
Summary: The world's most renowned martial artist, Natsu Dragneel, is adored by many, however, the ice sculptor Gray Fullbuster can hardly stand the sight of him for reasons unknown to many. When Gray gets commissoned by the 'Salamander' to make his ice sculptures for a ball, they both may just find that perhaps the past can be forgotten in order to make way for the future . Yaoi, Natray.
1. Chapter 1

Weighted hearts.

**Warnings: Cursing, violence, AU, slight OOC, cursing, and future Yaoi.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Fairy Tail then Gray would be the main character and yaoi would be canon, so needless to say, I don't own it.**

Chapter one:

"The salamander, eh?" Gray inquired, studying the piece of paper he was holding in slight annoyance, "That egotistical bastard requested us to make ice sculptures for him?"

Lyon nodded and glanced over at his comrade from the corner of his eye, a small smirk playing at the corner of his lips at the raven's words. Neither were all too fond of that prideful martial artist.

"Yeah, apparently it's for some party he is hosting. He needs about 8 and the money is pretty considerable."

The younger ice maker set the parchment down before leaning back further in his chair, pondering that over for a moment

"8 ice sculptures? Let me guess, all dragons, right?"

The silver-haired male grunted in confirmation, causing the other to sigh. He knew very little about the so-called 'Salamander', however he was aware that he prized dragons greatly, a rather weird obsession if you asked him.

"I guess that doesn't sound too bad, but I can't promise that I won't punch him in the face if he acts like the rumors say."

"Oh yes, you can and will, Gray Fullbuster."  
Both Lyon and Gray's eyes widened as they gulped, turning their heads slightly to the side to find their manager glaring at them harshly,

"The party that Natsu Dragneel is hosting is the most popular of the year. Everyone who is anyone will be there, making it the perfect place to showcase your work."

The dark blue haired male rolled his eyes,

"We already have quite a bit of publicity as it is. Like hell I want our success to extend because of that damn idiot."

"Are you talking back to me, Fullbuster?"  
Within a moment the red-haired women was at the male's neck, the knife she always carried nearing his throat as her glare only hardened,

"N-no! What the hell, are you insane?! Put that away!" He stuttered before sighing in exasperation, "Damn it, fine. We'll accept the fucking offer."

"Very good." Within a moment Erza's expression shifted from murderous to pleased, her weapon already stashed away, almost as though it never truly existed in the first place. "Then get ready. The job states that you will be staying there for a week to make sure that everything turns out as needed."  
"Staying there for 1 week?" Lyon groaned, starting to dislike the mission as well, " Why do we have to stay there?"

"Because he lives in Magnolia, which is far from Isvan. You'll leave in the morning and I do not want another word from the two of you. I'll be accompanying you both, an old friend of mine lives there that I think I will visit."

"This better be worth it..."

The raven moaned before flopping backwards on the couch, covering his eyes with his elbow as he let out yet another sigh. Never did he think he would ever have the misfortune of meeting the moron _again._

Natsu Dragneel was, supposedly, the most powerful mixed martial artist around, as well as the most destructive. He was a member of the gym 'Fairy Tail' and was rumored to be extremely rash and idiotic, two things that Gray could not stand in a person. It was for that reason that he had no interest in seeing the so called 'Dragon slayer'. Needless to say the fact that he had to stay with that bastard only made his mood darken.

"Behave yourself Gray," Their manager warned as she turned to leave the room, "I know you don't like him, but at least try to play nice, alright? Maybe you'll find out he's a better person than you think."

The younger of the two boys grunted, but allowed the matter to drop in fear of the female's wrath. The ice sculptor highly doubted that. There was no way that fighter could be any good, that much he knew from witnessing it first hand. Nothing good could ever come when he was around.

"Don't get so bummed out, brat," The white-haired boy muttered before standing up, "It's only for a week. We'll be working the whole time, so it's not like we'll see too much of him."

Lyon knew quite well how his friend felt about their future employer and was determined to see to it that their interaction was kept to a minimum. After all, that was what surrogate brothers were supposed to do, or at least, that was what Lyon was convinced of.

"Yeah, you're probably right."

Yes, just 1 week. Certainly he could put up with that nitwit for just a 7 days, right? Then he would never have to see him again.

"At our pace we may just be able to finish those sculptures before then. Shouldn't be too hard." Gray assured, more to himself than to his business partner. Just dragons, that shouldn't be too hard.

THe white hair male nodded in slight agreement before closing his eyes and relaxing back on the couch, ultimately signifying that he grew tired of their conversation.

In turn the dark blue haired male stood up and left the room, going to pack. The sooner they got to the Salamander's mansion the sooner they could get to work, finish and leave.

"So, Natsu," He spat the name silently to himself, "Looks like we'll meet again after all."

* * *

"How much longer until we get to Magnolia?" Gray complained, his patience wearing thin. Thus far him, Lyon, and Erza had been cooped up in the train for two days and he was long past irritated.

"We should be there any moment." The scarlet replied, her gaze flickering from her watch to the shirtless raven and albino before her, "Put on a shirt, you two, it's indecent to walk around half-naked."

"It's not our fault its hot as hell here." The white-haired male defended, his hand coming up to wipe at the sweat gathering on his brow, "It's quite a bit warmer here than in Isvan."  
"Well what were you expecting? Isvan is abnormally cold compared to Magnolia. Even so, that doesn't excuse you both from being decently dressed."

"Yeah, yeah, fine, Erza, we'll put a shirt on once the train stops." The raven muttered, leaning back against the cushioned seat before rolling his eyes. This heat was unbearable, especially for two people that spent the majority of their time around ice.

With a huff the scary women crossed her arms but pushed the subject no further.

The reminder of the trip was carried out in relative silence as the three sat idly by, thoughts of their job flowing freely throughout their mind.

Lyon and Gray, otherwise known as the ice brothers, were famous around the world for their ice sculptures. Having been trained by Ur, the world's most renowned ice sculptor, they were both very skilled. Gray himself prefered making inanimate objects while Lyon prefered making living creatures, however if the pay was right neither were exactly very picky.

At the age of 16 and 18 the two boys started their own business called 'Lamia Scale'. They served as a party business, catering to small gatherings that desired ice decorations. But that phase did not last long, for before either knew it, they had become the talk of Isvan. Their statues rivaled that of professionals that had been working for years. It was because of that that by the time they were 18 and 20, they were considered celebrities.

It was then that they employed their childhood friend, Erza, to be the manager, seeing as neither were very good when it came to dealing with people. Both were quick to anger and rather impatient, making it so they had lost several jobs just because their clients were not too fond of their attitude. That and their bizarre stripping habits had the tendency to make many feel uncomfortable, not that anyone could really blame them.

Gray resisted the urge to chuckle lightly at his last thought. Ah yes, that particular habit served to help them as well as crush them. Some found the actions amusing, whilst others, mainly straight males, found it disgusting and refused to hire them for that very same reason. That didn't really bother him, though. They made fine business anyway, so not having a few jackass clients was perfectly acceptable to him.

At the sound of the intercom buzzing the trio gathered their belongings and happily filed out from the train. Begrudgedly, the boys slipped their shirts back on due to a particularly vicious look from the only female member. Surely they would melt if they stayed in this desert like terrain for long, especially if they were expected to remain fully dressed the entire time.

"Be on your best behavior you two," Their manager scolded as she scanned the train station, "Natsu said he would be picking the two of you up personally."

"Picking us up personally?" Lyon snickered, his tone turning sarcastic, "To what do we owe that honor?"  
Erza shook her head and shrugged, "He seems to enjoy doing the majority of things by himself."

There went all of Gray's hopes that he would not have to actually speak to the damned pinkette. Now they even had to ride with him back to his mansion. Of course, nothing could go right for him.

"Well, I'll see the two of you in a few days?"

"A few days?!" The raven gawked, his head whipping to the side to look at Erza, "Just where the hell are you going?!"

"Language, Gray." She reprimanded, "As for your question, I told you I am going to visit a friend who lives around here. I have no reason to come with you guys because I know you will both behave politely," Her eyes flashed dangerously and her tone turned even stricter, "Right, boys?"  
Gulping, both ice makers nodded their heads, which seemed to be enough for the frightening female.

"Very good. Then have fun boys."

With a slight wave Lyon and Gray watched in shock as their worker walked away, leaving them alone.

"Damn, so much for her doing all the talking." The dark blue haired male groaned, shaking his head in annoyance, "and of course 'The Salamander' is late. He really is an ass."

"Who's an ass?"

Jumping in slight surprise, Gray whirled around, shocked to find a pink haired male just a bit taller than him standing behind him, a questioning look glistening in onyx eyes.

"N-no one..." The raven cleared his throat before taking a step back to establish a decent amount of space between himself and the stranger.

Wait... Pink hair... Muscular build... Don't tell him...

"Natsu Dragneel?"

The male nodded as a grin crept onto his face.

"Ah, are you a fan of me? Not that I'm surprised, what's not to like, huh."

Oh yes, there was no doubt that this jackass was the one and only Fire Dragon slayer.

"Not even in your dreams, pinky. We're the ice sculptors you hired."  
The wrestler blinked, a frown resting on his lips at the other's rather rude response.

"EH? You mean that you and the albino are the famous 'Ice brothers'? Aren't you a little... Young...?"

Lyon frowned at the nickname he was given and glared at the male.

"Watch your tongue, brat. Age has nothing to do with skill."  
"Oh, I know that, ice freak. After all, I'm best MMA fighter and I'm only 21." A smirk reappeared on the tan skinned man's face as he bragged once again about his title, "I'm just surprised, is all."

"Oi, no one cares, squinty eyes."

"Are you trying to start something, droopy eyes?"

"Hell yeah, hot head!"

"You have some nerve challenging me, frosty. I'll knock you out no time flat."  
"Then prove it, ash for brains!"

The pink haired wrestler grit his teeth and raised his fist, ready to knock some sense into the rude raven when suddenly a high-pitched, female voice cut him off.

"Ugh, Natsu! Did you find them yet? I want to go!"

Sighing, the salamander lowered his hand and turned to the side to see his work partner, Lucy, walking towards them, a bored expression on her face.

"Yeah, Lucy, I found them alright."

"Great!" She cheered, stopping just short of the two grim-faced ice sculptors. At the moment it was taking all their strength not to murder the big-headed bastard.

"It's nice to meet you two. I'm Lucy Heartfilla." Her chocolate-brown eyes widened as she hesitated a moment, studying them closely, "Wow... You both are the ice brothers? I've never seen a picture of you guys, since you prefer to not be photographed..." Her smile widened even further, "Well, come on! Let's go!"

Natsu glared at the two men for just a moment longer before walking towards the exit with Lucy, no doubt expecting Gray and Lyon to follow.

Those two had some nerve to back talk to him like that. Very few pocessed the audacity to insult, let alone so bluntly challenge him like that dark blue haired idiot had. That very fact infuriated him as well as interested him. That boy was an interesting fellow, though for some reason he seemed rather familiar. Perhaps he had happened upon him once at a party? He wouldn't doubt that, seeing as the guy was rather popular. Popular enough to be invited to some high-ranking parties, although for some reason that didn't sound quite right.

With a shrug Natsu returned to talking to his blonde friend. Ah, what did it matter? He wasn't one for thinking anyway.

Gray, however, was fuming for several different reasons besides the fact that the fighter was every bit the nuisance he thought him to be. No, what annoyed him was that the other didn't seem to know who he was. For some reason that caused a bit of sadness within him we well, but he tried not to focus on it. Sadness was a useless feeling after all. Instead he focused on his irritation

"So, Natsu, you really don't remember me, do you?"

**This was just a little idea that came to mind the other day. More about the two shall be explained as time goes on, though. So, what do you guys think? **


	2. Chapter 2

The car ride, or rather, the limo ride to the employers house was completed with an awkward silence. Gray and Lyon sat side by side whilst Lucy and a very motion sick Natsu sat across from them. Lucy tried several times with useless, everyday chatter and the albino, deciding to play nice with their client, spoke nonchalenately with her several times, however the raven was hardly in the mood to speak. In fact, he spent the majority of the time with his gaze directly outside, his cobalt eyes narrowed as he tried desperately not to pay the groaning male before him any heed. Truly, it seemed the boy's severe motion sickness hadn't diminished in the slightest after all these years. A part of him even enjoyed seeing the fighter in such a disheveled state.

Years ago he may have felt a pang of pity for the poor pinkette, however now he couldn't care less. The more sadist part of the ice maker felt as though the so called dragon slayer deserved to be in pain, but at the same time the more gentler side reprimanded him for his rude thoughts. Unforunately, the latter side wasn't nearly as influential as the former.

Glancing over at the blonde and his comrade, the dark blue haired young adult could vaguely determine that Lucy was informing them as to what their job was. He paid it no mind, knowing that Lyon would explain it to him once they arrived at their place of temporary residency. At the moment he was just counting down the moments until he could gain some distance between him and the damned salamander.

The salamander, on the other hand, continued his steady gaze on the blackette, who seemed to be trying his hardest to advert his view away. Natsu wasn't sure why, but the other male seemed to really hate him. He couldn't help but wonder what he could have ever done to make a complete stranger dislike him so much.

Complete stranger…. No, that didn't sound right… He was almost certain that this male was an individual that he had met prior. Where exactly, he didn't know.

Perhaps he was a past enemy of his that he had beaten during a fight? The shorter ice maker certainly seemed to have the body of a fighter. Both sculptors did, actually. With that thought he felt as though he was a step closer to deciphering where exactly he had met this man before, but he knew that he still hadn't fully discovered his relationship with him.

A particulary gruesome wave of nausea spread through his body like wildfire, causing his thoughts to cease imeediately in favor of focusing on the urge to not throw up.

"Gaahh…"

With a groan the pink haired male rolled off the seat and onto the floor, not surprised to find that even though he was now laying down, he still didn't feel any better.

"Oh, Natsu…" Lucy sighed, her irritability obvious in her tone, "Don't throw up on me or the guests, you hear that?"

"Yeah, yeah…" He grumbled, turning his head to stare absently at a black pant leg.

It seemed as though he had landed on one of the cilent's shoes but even knowing that he made no sign of moving. For some reason the ache wrecking through his stomach managed to subdue greatly . Subconciously, he snuggled closer to the forigen foot, unaware that the owner of the appendage was glaring daggers at him.

Said male clenched his teeth and resisted the ever growing urge to kick the MMA fighter out of the vehicle. If that bastard was to so much as breath the wrong way on his foot than his patience would no doubt shatter and they would soon find out whether or not this little dragon slayer could fly.

"I apologize for him," The only female said, catching Gray's attention as she sent him a small apologetic smile, "He gets motion sick really easily, but I promise that he is a much better person when hes calm and not about to throw up on you…."

"I doubt that." The raven muttered under his breath.

"What was that?"

"I said I'm sure he is."

Resisting the urge to snicker, the shorter of the two cilents carelessly nudged the pinkette's head, smiling smugly at the pained groan that rose from the now green faced male on the ground. This rreally was too great.

However, unfortunately for Gray, he was unable to continue antagonizing the dragon slayer, for within a few more moments the large black limo came to a halt and a male with white hair and pale skin opened the car door.

"Thank you Capricorn." Lucy smiled, gracefully accepting the servant's hand as he assisted her from the car.

"Of couse, Lady Lucy." Turning back around, the limo driver reached in, excusing himself , before grabbing hold of the still sick looking salamander and pulled him from the car, thus allowing the two white skinned males to exit as well.

Gray watched wordlessly as the tall man set Natsu down on the ground before bowing slightly to the blonde.

"Is that all, Lady?"

Smiling the brown eyed girl nodded,

"Yes, thank you. I'll call you when I want you to come pick me up."

"Of course." With one final respectful bow, Capricorn filed back into the black vehile and drove away, leaving the 4 young adults to marvel at the large manor looming before them.

"Welcome to the Dragneel mansion." The cipher female introduced as she began walking towards the mansion before hesitating a moment, "Er… I'm really sorry to ask, but do one of you mind helping Natsu in? It usually takes him a little bit to get better after a long time in anything that moves…"

"You heard her, Gray, get to it." Lyon smirked, taking both his and the raven's bags before following Lucy up the grand steps that led to the house.

"Wait, why the hell do I have to help this bastard?!" He demanded, his fists clenching at his sides as he glared a hole into his comrade's back.

Letting out a low laugh, the albino glanced slightly over his shoulder,

"He seemed more keen on studying you during the ride than me, so be useful and bring him in, huh?"

Before the youngest male could protest further the white haired man had already disappeared past the marble front doors, leaving him alone with a still groggy salamander.

"Damn you, Lyon…" He growled lowly under his breath as he stared angerly down at the crumbled form of the pinkette. Honestly, could he look any more pathetic? The jackass could come inside by himself for all he cared.

However, he didn't want to anger the sweet Lucy, so he swallowed his arguments and reached down, awkwardly wrapping his arm around the other's warm body before pulling him into a standing postion. From there he wrapped the other's tan arm around his shoulders and laced his own arm around the slayer's waist.

"Ah, dammit, Natsu, can't you help at all..?"

"S…Sorrry." The salamander mumbled, leaning further against the helping boy in order to maintain the little balance he somehow pocessed. At the moment his stomach was still performing backflips and his legs felt like jelly, but for some rreason the others presence seemed to slowly help edge the pain away. It was odd, really.

"You, know, you smell good…"

"What the hell? Don't smell me, just stand up."

"But you do smell good," He insisted, pressing his tan nose against the others chest, "You smell... kind of familiar... Have we met before?"

"No." The raven replied swiftly, his gaze drifting forward as he relied in a low voice, "I haven't been here in a long time..."

"What did you say your name was again, ice prick?"  
He rolled his eyes,

"I didn't."

"Oi, then tell me, would ya? I'm getting tired of calling you ice prick."

Gray paused for a moment before walking forward, forcesfully pulling the still sickly pinkette with him. Thus far it seemed as though his and Lyon's identities were mysteries here in Fiore. From what he gathered everyone in this area knew of the so called 'ice boys', however what they looked like and their true names were unknown.

He supposed that it was only in Isvan that everyone knew their names, which actually served to work for the ice maker. Natsu didn't seem to remember him and he wanted to keep it that way. Magnolia was the place in which the demons of his past thrived and quite frankly he had neither the urge nor the courage to deal with what he left behind all those years ago.

"Silver," He quickly made up, mentally smacking himself for coming up with such a ridiculous and smiliar name, but continued with it none the less, "Silver Surge."

"Silver Surge...?" Natsu blinked, the color in his face slowly returning as they continued their slow walk towards the large marble mansion before them, "Huh, you kinda remind me of someone else... You are sure we haven't met before...?"

The dark blue haired youth gritted his teeth and looked down at the ground, his bangs sheilding his eyes as he replied firmly,

"Enough with that question. I've already told you we haven't."

"You're moody." Natsu pouted, his breathing returning to normal as his nausea all but diappeared, however he remained leaning against the male, "It's just a question, droopy eyes, don't take it so hard."

"Shut up squinty eyes."

Green eyes blinked for a moment before the pink haired man let out a low chuckle, earning him a questioning look from the shorter male,

"And what the hell is so funny?"

"I haven't met someone so fiesty in a long time, bastard. Not many have the nerve to insult me."  
The bluenette shrugged slightly and stopped just short of the door,

"Then you've only met cowards. I don't take shit, especially not from you, hot head."  
"I've noticed, ice princess."

"Don't call me that, idiot. I'm not a girl."

Gray unlatched his arm from around the taller male and stepped aside before crossing his arms, his previous slightly lighthearted attitude dispersed as he remembered just who he was chatting with. He hadn't heard that nickname for several years...

"You look fine now. I'm going to go find Lyon..."

Without allowing the fighter a moment to respond, the raven stalked away from the curious pinkette, his signature sword necklace glinting as he turned, causing Natsu to hold his breath for a moment. The dragon slayer hadn't even noticed the raven wearing that prior. He guessed that it was because it had been hidden under the raven's white shirt.

No... It couldn't be...

He watched silently as the ice sculptor walked across the foyer and down the nearest hall, allowing himself a mere moment to wonder if he even knew where he was going before focusing on the one thought that kept circulating through his mind.

That necklace... He could recognize it anywhere and just the sight of it caused his heart to clench as a series of memories returned to him.

Subconciously the pink haired MMA fighter steadied himself by leaning on the door frame, his vision downcast as his bangs covered his eyes.

"Silver Surge, was it?" He mocked, his voice dry and irritated, "What a silly name."

That peice of jewery... There was only one person in the world that could ever own that. After all, it was Natsu himself that had crafted it for his best friend all those years ago. It belonged to the one boy that he had believed to have died along with his parents seven years prior.

Yes, it had to be him... He was one of the few that ever actually pushed him to to his limits while fighting, the one that he had loved before he even knew what love was. He survived...

"So Silver Surge, or, should I say, Gray Fullbuster. You've become a liar, have you...? But why...?"

Why was he pretending as though he didn't know him? He even went so far as to pretend as though he was another individual...

He felt the anger within him surge at that thought. What the hell was that assholes problem? He went and disappeared for seven years and then came back, acting as though he had never met him before?

"You want to play, huh, Gray? I don't know what the hell your deal is, but you're on."

* * *

There we are~ Here's a few side notes I wanted to add about the name Silver Surge. Surge was the last name of Edolas Gray and Silver is from the newest chapters of the manga (however I still haven't read it, or even finished the anime for that matter).

Yeah, I know, the name is stupid, but I don't feel like making something complex up.

Thanks for reading~


	3. Chapter 3

**Here we are~ Another chapter.**

**Warnings: Violence, AU, cursing, slight OOC, and Yaoi.**

**Italics stand for memories**

* * *

"Took you long enough to get here."

Gray rolled his eyes, his hands fumbling with the buttons on his shirt subconsciously as he walked into the large empty ballroom that he had been instructed to enter.

After taking several wrong turns and getting utterly lost in the giant household the ice maker had finally given up his pride and asked a maid where he would find the room in which Lyon was led to.

Usually he wasn't that bad with figuring out where he was going, although his little confrontation with Natsu managed to rattle him up to the point where he found it difficult to think clearly. Not that he would ever admit that to anyone.

"It's your own damn fault for that, Jackass." The raven grumbled, tossing his shirt aside as he glared half heartedly at his best friend, "That Salamander held me up."

Lyon smirked slightly and shrugged before following Gray's lead, removing his shirt as well.

"Catching up with old friends?"

The shorter of the two boys scoffed.

"Hardly. Hell, just being around that bastard is enough to make me want to punch something. Preferably him."

"Well, this should help clear your head of him. It always has."

Stepping closer to the younger male, the albino paused for a moment before leading him to the center of the room.

"It better. I hate doing this when I'm irritated."

Gray unconciously felt his nails dig into his biceps at the mere thought of the pink haired idiot.

"Let's find out."

The two were now barely inches apart, their arms brushing against one another as they focused their attention on the shape in front of them.

"So, just dragons, huh?"

The silver haired sculptor nodded,

"So you really weren't listening when Lucy was telling us what to do, were you?" He chuckled lowly, "I didn't think you were. How immature Gray. "

Gray bit the corner of his lip, knowing full well that this was coming,

"Yeah, yeah. Spare me the reprimanding, Lyon. I was just distracted by something else."

"It was Natsu, wasn't it?"

The raven felt his body run rigid at the mere mention of the fighter's name. To the albino that was answer enough. Having known Gray for seven years, he was well aware that something had occurred in his hometown prior to his apprenticeship with Ur, however he knew only the basic facts. To be honest, from what he knew he didn't blame the boy one bit for disliking the obnioxious pinkette.

"Just a week, Gray, you can make it that long. I know you can."

Running a hand through dark hair, the raven sighed before using the other, free hand to gently caress the transparent susbstance before them,

"I hope you are right, Lyon..."

"Of course I'm right. I always am." Simpering, the white haired male knelt down to collect the needed tools he had laid out prior,

"Anyway, as for the sculptures, yeah, they are mainly dragons, although the girl, Lucy, also said for us to make a few smaller figures of this... thing... I think she called it a dog."

Pulling himself from his thoughts of Natsu, Gray glanced down to see his comrade holding a peice of paper up to him with one hand, the other appendage as well as its owner were busy digging in a giant bag that held their ice chipping materials.

"A dog... What the hell? This thing isn't a dog?!" Cobalt eyes widened and he shook his head in mock exasperation, "These damn rich people and their exotic animals. It looks more like a snowman to me..."

He flipped the paper around, letting out a small laugh at the name listed on the back,

"Plue? Plue the dog that looks more like a freaking snowman. Great."

Lyon allowed a small smile to grace his lips at the sound of his friend's laughter, all traces of his past anxity leaving the other's tone.

"Let's get started." The black haired boy grinned, stretching his muscular torso and arms as he sent his friend a challenging glance, "I bet I can make a better looking dragon than you."

He was met with another, equally determined smirk,

"You're on, Gray."

* * *

"Come on, Salamander, is that the best you've got?" Gajeel jeered, his voice demeaning as he slugged his younger cousin, who seemed oddly distracted today, "I'm kicking your ass easier than usual."

"Shut it, iron freak!." The pinkette growled, returning his rival's attack with his own, a victorious smile decorating his face as his opponent stumbled back several paces, "I'm still kicking your butt."

"Lucky shot." The black haired male muttered, wiping the sweat from his forehead, "Bet you can't do it again."

"Bring it, wimp!"

"That's enough fighting for today, boys."

Both fighters ceased their heated glares at one another to see the owner of the voice, a low whine escaping the pinkette at their order not to fight any longer.

"But I'm just getting fired up!"

"It's late Natsu, and you two have been fighting nonstop for the past few hours. Take a break."

"I don't need a break, gramps! I wanna hit something!"

Makarov rolled his eyes and stopped just before the boys, his hands clamped firmly behind his back.

"It's late," He repeated, his gaze shifting from Natsu to Gajeel, "Give us a moment, Gajeel."

Grunting, the peirced man sent the Salamander one last glare before obeying and leaving, flinging a towel around his neck as he fled into the locker room.

"What's bothering you, my boy?"

The salamander crossed his arms in a slight pout,

"You ended our fight. I was just about to win too!"

The old man shook his head before bopping the shorter man on the head,

"Something else is bothering you. What is it?"

Biting his bottom lip, Natsu shifted on his feet, not wanting to meet his grandfather's gaze,

"It's just... Remember Gray?"

The lighthearted expression on the master's face swiftly dissappeared as a new solemn look overrided it,

"Of course. I can never forget one of my martial art children..."

"What happened to him?"

"Why are you asking me this now of all times, Natsu? It's been seven years and you know what happened just as much as I do."

The Salamander glanced down at the ground before sitting, his hands fiddling aimlessly with the scraf wrapped securely around his neck,

"Tell me again, I'm just curious."

Sighing, the master of the Fairy Tail gym and dojo glanced sadly down at the so called fire dragon slayer. Everyone at the gym had once considered the raven family, especially Natsu. They were constantly at one another's throats, but still he was certain that deep down they were best friends.

"Very well, my boy, it certainly has been quite a while..." Makarov paused for a moment, grabbing a chair before sitting back down in front of the still distracted pinkette, "It was seven years ago that he disappeared... You know that already though... This is what happened that day..."

* * *

_"That boy is late again." Makarov sighed, shaking his head as he paced around the dojo, his impatience growing with each passing moment._

_For the past several weeks the raven had been coming in early, earlier than the rest of the students, in order to get more time in for training. For some reason he seemed insistant on getting stronger. The white haired male suspected that it had something to do with the unusual bruises and cuts that commonly marred the boy's pale flesh; wounds that he was certain were not ones the boy sustained while in his presence during practice, "I guess I'll just have to go and get the brat."_

_Grumbling under his breath, the master left the guild, leaving his assistant trainer Mirajane in charge as he stalked off to Gray's house._

_As he made his way down the familiar streets of Magnolia ,Makarov allowed his thoughts to wander to the young boy._

_For one reason or another the poor youth had been coming to practice sporting numerous bumps and bruises, although whenever he was consulted about said injuries he would come up with ridiculous excuses. Never once would be agree to tell anyone just where he got the wounds._

_However, the white haired sensai had a pretty good idea. He figured the poor lad was being bullied. By who, he never really was certain and the raven was of no help. The boy was far too stubborn and prideful to ever admit to such a thing._

_"That child... He'll end up running himself into the ground if he keeps up that cold act..." He muttered to himself, a sad glint in his eyes. "At the very least he has Natsu..."_

_Allowing yet another sigh to escape he pulled himself from his muddled thoughts as he arrived at the familiar house of the Fullbuster family, surprised to find Natsu already outside the house, banging on the door._

_"Oi, frost breath, open the door! I'm sorry about yesterday, alright?"_

_"What are you doing here, child?" Makarov asked, coming to stand beside the young pinkette._

_"Oh, hey gramps! I just came to find Gray... Have you seen him?"_

_The white haired male shook his head slightly, a sense of unease suddenly surging through his senses._

_"No, I came here to find him." Seeing the concerned look on the fourteen year old's face the master placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry, my boy, he must have just overslept."_

_Natsu nodded, not completely convinced, but returned to pounding on the wooden door nonetheless. Gray never ignored him like this, not even when he was mad. In fact, they couldn't hear anything coming from the house that was usually full of voices._

_"This is taking too long!" The younger boy pouted, crossing his arms as he kicked at the door, "Let's break it down!"_

_"You can't solve every problem by being destructive, brat." He sighed, the sense of unease swiftly strengthening the longer he stood outside the house, "But just this once, I think you may be correct. Something's wrong."_

_Wasting not another moment the white haired elder kicked at the door, once, twice, the third time was the charm. The wood door groaned it's complaint but opened nonetheless, allowing both men enterance._

_Eagerly, the young salamander stepped into the familiar home, his body stilling immediately and a small gasp resonated from him as he studied the house. There was the distinct aroma of blood in the air and the foryer was in complete disarray. The walls were broken in places and tables and chairs were overturned, a red substance splattered around._

_"G-Gramps!"_

_"Oh dear... Natsu, go quickly and get help, I will find them!"_

_"But what about Gray?! I want to see him!"_

_"Go, Natsu! Now! I will find Gray!"_

_Without allowing the child another moment to speak Makarov gestured for him to leave before running further into the disastarous house._

_Natsu, however reluctantly obeyed and ran as fast as he could to a neighbor of Gray's, his heart clenching,_

_"Please be alright, Gray, please..."_

_~ Later that day~_

_"What do you mean they're gone?!" The pinkette roared, his eyes brimming with tears as he glared heatedly at his grandpa, "They can't be, you said you would find him! He... He couldn't have just disappeared!"_

_Makarov looked down at his young grandson with sadness, knowing all too well how this news must be affecting him, for it affected himself greatly as well,_

_"I am so sorry, my boy, but his parents were dead when I got there. As for Gray... He was no where to be seen..."_

_Salty liquid ran freely down the boy's cheeks as he sniffled and balled his fists,_

_"B-but... how...?"_

_The master clenched his teeth as he too felt tears run down his aged face, his gaze flickering to the floor as he spoke the name,_

_"Deliora... The serial killer. That was what the police said. While they couldn't find his body it was deduced that his blood was scattered about. Quite a bit of it too...I'm so sorry, my dear boy, we just came too late..."_

_"Gray, you bastard! You said you would never leave me!"_

_He slumped to his knees and slammed his fist into the ground, uncaring as to the pain it brought, "You were supposed to be my rival and best friend forever! You said you wouldn't **die** on me like Lisanna and leave me like Igneel... Damn you..."_

_Gray was gone, his family killed and it was all Natsu's **fault** for not being there to help him._

* * *

"That was how it went down put simply..." The tired old man sighed before standing back up. He spared the youth of the gruesome details, knowing that that was something he would never be old enough to hear.

After a few moments of silence he began to walk away,

"Why the sudden interest? For the longest time you wouldn't allow anyone to even speak the name, now you want me to tell you the story again, child?"

"No reason..." The pink haired fighter mumbled, standing up as well, "I just... Thought of him today, is all."

"I see. Don't allow the past to cloud your thoughts, Natsu. I could tell they were while you were fighting Gajeel. We all loved Gray dearly but the fact remains that he is gone. We searched everywhere for him, but made no progress for five years. Go home and rest."

Without another word Makarov exited the room, leaving Natsu to dwell in a very dangerous place; his mind.

"Yes, you disappeared, you bastard, but what really happened that night?" He whispered, his fists clenching as he recalled his little confrontation with '_Silver Surge'_, "_Why_ the hell did you leave, you icy bastard?"

He wanted answers and that was precisely what he was going to get.

* * *

"Damn, dragons are harder to make than I thought." Gray groaned, collasping on the ground, his body becoming sore from the nonstop work, "This is why I like making inanimate objects. They aren't so freaking hard."

"Don't complain so much Gray, we still have a week more of this. Besides, this'll give you more practice." Lyon smirked, studying his and the other's sculptures with interest. Both had gotten about halfway through their individual six foot creations.

"Yeah, I know. At least the snowman Plue will be easier..."

"Snowman? Don't you mean dog, frostbreath?"

A chill ran down the raven's spine at that painfully familiar voice. So he was here, was he?

"Whatever, salamander."

Behind him he could hear the sound of footsteps coming up to him, although he didn't turn around. The last thing he wanted to see was the damn fire bastard.

"Anyway, we need to talk, Silver."

Lyon, having already been

informed as to the fake alias that the raven adopted for this job, stared intently at the pinkette.

"If it's about the job than you should speak to both of us,no?"

"It's not." Natsu said bluntly, crossing his arms over his chest as his vest swayed with his every move. A determined look was glinting in his emerald eyes and his gaze was set firmly on the raven's back.

"Then what can I help you with, sir?" Gray's voice was cold and calm, his head turning to the side slightly.

"Yo, other ice bastard, leave for a moment, will ya?"

"You really lack manners don't you?" The albino scoffed, slipping his shirt back on as his glare intensified on the Salamander.

"Are you trying to start something, albino?"

"No, but I have no problem ending it."

"Ehem." Gray cleared his throat as he finally stood up and faced the fighter, "Leave it, Lyon."

Glancing from his comrade to his employer, the white haired male hesitated a moment before snickering, heading towards the door to the room.

"Fine, I'll be back in five minutes. I have to ask about our rooms anyway."

Two pairs of eyes watched silently as the albino left, uncomfortable silence lingering in the air for several moments before Natsu spoke,

"Cut the fucking act, Silver. I know that that's not your real name."

Stiffening slightly, the raven copied the salamanders crossed arm pose and glared at the other,

"Then who am I, Ash for brains?"

"You are **Gray Fullbuster**, my best friend who should have **_died_** seven years ago."

'_Who should have** died** seven years ago...'_

A humorless chuckle filtered throughout the room as the raven shook his head, his fingers digging into his arms,

"Looks like you aren't as dumb as I thought, fire brain. I'm surprised you recognized me."

"I didn't at first..." Natsu admitted,a hand coming up to subconsciously rub the back of his head, "but your cocky ass attitude and necklace gave you away. _Silver_ _Surge._.." He snickered. "What a pathetic name. It doesn't even sound realistic."

"Is my fake name really what you came to talk to me about?"

"No." His tan face suddenly turned serious as he stepped closer to the ice maker, "You need to explain."

"I don't need to explain anything to you, flamebrain."

"Like hell you do. What happened to you? Where have you been?!"

"Like you care, Natsu."

"What the hell is wrong with you?! Of course I care, snow queen! I was your best friend! You know Fairy Tail was worried sick about you and have been mourning your death ever since you disappeared..." His voice lowered as he gritted his teeth, "we thought you were dead..."

"That was what I wanted. As far as you were concerned and for all extensive purposes the child Gray Fullbuster did die that day."

"But why, Gray?! We were your family!"

"Family? Don't go throwing that word around so freely, squinty eyes. You were never family. Fairy Tail was never my family."

"What do you mean...?"

"Get this through that thick skull of yours, dimwit! I was nothing but a joke to everyone there, including you. I was the pathetic punching bag, a favorite of Gajeel, Laxus, and my personal favorite..."

"Gray, please..."

"**-you**, Natsu. All I ever was to you was something to use and manipulate."

Natsu stepped closer to his once best friend and rival, a finger jabbing into the other's bare chest as his green eyes narrowed,

"I don't know what the hell has gotten into you, ice princess, but you're speaking nonsense."

"Am I, Natsu? Do you remember what happened the day before my parent's murder? Do you realize how much your betrayal destroyed me? I had trusted you and you went and did that!"

"And I regretted it from that moment on. Look, Gray... I'm sorry... I just... I didn't mean to betray you..."

"Save it for someone who cares, sulfur brain. You made a choice that day and it was against me."

Turning, his fingers gently glazed the ice sculpture beside him, a sad look flashing in blue eyes as he bit the corner of his lip. It hurt him to feel this hatred towards his former best friend, but Natsu Dragneel was a liability and played him for a fool.

As the saying goes, fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. There would be no chance for a second time for he had burned all his bridges to Magnolia the night he left with Ur.

"The Gray you knew is gone, Natsu. I froze him solid that day. He was weak and because of that he shattered. I won't shatter again." He turned to face the so called slayer again, "Nothing you can say will change that."

"Don't say that!" Before Gray knew what was happening he felt a warm body against his own, sending him stumbling back against the wall.

"What happened to you? You finally come back and you don't want anything to do with us?! The past is the past, everyone would love to see you!"

"No." The raven's voice was stern as he glared at the male pressing him against the wall, struggling to push him away, "Are you fucking deaf? I told you that that part of my life ended years ago. You are the only one who knows I'm here and alive and it will stay that way. Once i am done here Lyon and I will return to Isvan and I will forget all about this place, just like before."

"No, you won't! I won't let you! You belong here with us, I... I missed you..." The salamander rested his head against the slightly shorter male's, his heart quickening at their close proximity and the familiar cool aura of the raven, "I'm sorry, Gray, I am..."

"Get off of me, Natsu."

"Gray..."

"Am I interrupting something?"

The pinkette felt his irritation rise at the familiar voice and he reluctantly released the raven, who wasted not a moment in stepping away from the other.

"No. I thought I said for you to leave us alone, damn albino."

"Your five minutes are up." His eyes shifted from the irritated looking Natsu to the equally agitated Gray, "Watch yourself, Salamander."

"You want to start something, ice freak?"

Without allowing the boys to continue their quarreling, Gray stepped between the two, his cobalt eyes narrowed,

"Shut up, both of you. Damn, I'm getting a freaking headache. Lyon, let's just go to our rooms. It's late and I'm going to punch something if you two keep acting like idiots."

Several moments of silence passed throughout the room as the taller of the three males continued their heated glare, neither willing to back down, that is until Lyon finally abided and scoffed,

"Fine."

Without another word the two ice users turned their back on the slayer and left Natsu alone with several unanswered questions hovering over him.

* * *

**A bit of Gray and Natsu's past has been revealed O_O Butttt it probably just left you all with more questions. Whoops.**

**Anyway, I've been wanting to answer reviews on the bottom of my stories, however I never have the time. I only have time to post it. So, now that I have a bit of extra time I decided to do that! All 10 of them!**

**DreamscomeTRUEEE: Ah, i figured everyone would recognize the name Silver Surge but I just wanted to clear it up for those in the dark XD I'm glad I've caught your interest :D Thanks for the review~**

**Rewinsan: That they were ^.^ Thanks for the review!**

** : I'm glad you like it :D Thank you for reviewing!  
6purplecats: There is indeed. That'll be a line that their relationship will be hovering over for quite a bit XD It's great to know you like it and Thank you for reviewing.**

**JaiDaw: That I will, I promise! I actually have quite a few ideas for this, so I will be continuing it and hopefully updating again in a few days. Thank you for reviewing!**

**ranchan-akari: Oh yes, that is the question, no? More insight is given in this chapter, although it probably didn't help all that much. :P Sorry. Thank you for reviewing!**

**Spring Epaya: Thank you! I'm glad you like the story so far! Natsu will indeed be forced to recall the past hes been trying to forget thanks for Gray's appearance. Thanks for the review~**

**All reviews have been responded to. Yay ^.^. Now, update wise I will (hopefully) be able to update every few days, although once June 6th comes around summer will start and I will be able to update a lot more. **

**Thank you everyone for reading and please review!**

** .oO: Thanks :D More will hopefully be revealed in the next few chapters~ Thank you for reviewing!**


	4. Chapter 4: Memories of what used to be

**Hello people~ As I'm sure you've noticed I've changed my penname from SonGokuSuperSayijin4 to BeautifulWonderland256, so if you see any further notifications under that name, it's me.**

**Warnings: Maybe OOC, AU, Cursing, Yaoi, unbetaed (for now), and violence. **

Natsu sighed softly as he sat outside, absent-mindedly petting his cat, Happy. The sun was only just rising and the Salamander already felt as though he had been up all day.

Usually at this time in the morning he was still asleep, snuggled up and snoring loudly in his beloved bed, however for some reason he had been unable to sleep soundly lately. Instead he found himself falling asleep late at night and waking up at ungodly hours in the morning. Dark bags were already making themselves apparent on his tanned skin and he had begun to do something that was quite uncharacteristic for him; He began to think.

Yes, as scary and unbelievable as it seems the dim-witted and rash Natsu Dragneel had taken up pondering.

No matter how hard he tried to pry the raven from his mind he still managed to be the center of his attention. Questions concerning his disappearance years ago and why he had not returned to Fairy Tail flooded his brain, making it so he found himself getting very distracted of the late. That irritated him, especially when it caused his usually flawless fighting skills to dull.

He had attempted to consult the ice maker further, however it seemed as though the younger male had been evading him for the past few days, making it so he had not so much as seen him. As far as he knew both sculptors merely worked, went out to eat, and slept. Natsu could never seem to catch Gray alone, which also only managed to annoy him. He absolutely hated thinking and wondering. He wanted answers but it seemed as though his former rival was having none of that.

"Damn bastard..." The pinkette muttered under his breath, the hand not petting Happy clenching as he glared at the landscape before him.

Honestly, the damned raven was too stubborn. Yes he knew that he had fucked up seven years ago and yes he regretted it more than anything else, but he was sorry and even told the ice sculptor as much. What more could he do? He just wanted things to return to the way they were now that he knew that his best friend was still alive and rather well, although his friend seemed to have a different plan. The jackass was going to leave again once he was done with his job and pretend that his childhood never even happened!

Running a hand through his salmon hair, the fighter groaned, effectively causing his cat to grumble in complaint before jumping up from his lap.

His actions the day before Gray's parent's murder still hung painfully clear in his head, regardless of how many times he attempted to put it behind him. He hated himself after that fateful Saturday because he blamed himself for Gray even being home. The raven was supposed to stay over his house the night Deloria killed his parents. If he hadn't hurt the dark blue haired male like he did than he would have never been subjected to the murderer's wrath and he might have stayed at Fairy Tail, however Natsu was afraid that the boy's parents still would have suffered the fate they did.

If only he hadn't been such an idiot. He should have stood up to his cousins and helped Gray instead of worrying about his own damn reputation. Then again he was just a young kid at the time; they both were. Cocky, arrogant, bastards of teens.

Clenching his teeth, he let out another lengthy groan and took to burying his face in his hands. Maybe Gajeel and Laxus were right, he really was just a naïve idiot.

_'Crack.'_

His self loathing was cut short as he glanced up and saw a figure trudging across his yard and out into the street, his eyebrow rising in question as he wondered who was leaving his house so early in the morning.

The figure moved swiftly and with purpose and as he turned the corner to leave the Dragneel property Natsu could just make out black, spiky hair peeking out from the dark hood and jacket covering his torso and head. That hair could belong to only one person.

Curiously, the Salamander followed Gray out of the yard and into the nearly deserted street. This might be just his chance to finally get an explanation from the stubborn male.

* * *

The sun was just peeking up from the horizon, shooing away the unsettling darkness that had blanketed the town that night. Through that slim amount of light a figure could be seen making it's way down the road, a hood covering his head and his gaze down as he stalked silently, aimlessly kicking a rock.

It had been two days since his little confrontation with Natsu and Gray had seen to it that he remained from the Salamander's sight. Just seeing his past friend bought back countless memories, memories of which he had spent the last seven years attempting to forget. Although with the combination of being in his hometown and seeing familiar faces, there really was no way for him to not recall his childhood.

Sighing, the ice maker yanked his hood down further over his head, not willing to risk the off chance of someone recognizing him. After all, everything would just be easier for everyone if Gray Fullbuster remained dead to Magnolia. His life wasn't important and therefore revealing that he was indeed still alive and well was unneeded, or at the very least that was what he told himself.

They could find out his true identity once he was long gone. This was the last time he ever planned on returning to this god forsaken place. originally he thought he would be able to put aside his past and at least get onto somewhat even terms with the Salamander, however now that he was here he found the memories too hurtful to just let slide by. He was unwanted here then and he would be now, that was all there was to it.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Gray allowed a small, sad smile to creep onto his face as his gaze drifted from the ground to the river winding beside the road. Countless memories flooded his mind as he allowed his brain to drift to all the fun times he had by that very body of water.

One particular memory stood out among the others, causing a ting of pain and happiness to seep into his heart. One of the best days of his childhood was the day that he and his father went fishing at this very lake.

* * *

_"Daddy, I caught a fish! I caught a fish!" A young Gray giggled as he thrusted his fishing pole out towards his father, a fish only about the size of his finger hanging from the line, but that didn't deter the boy from smiling pridefully._

_"Great job, Gray." The older raven praised, ruffling the boy's head encouragingly and smiled gently at his one and only son, "You're quite the fisher."_

_"Thank you! Watch, I'll unhook it too!"_

_"Gray, that's not such..."_

_Blocking his father's words out, the five year old boy reached out and clamped his small hand onto the fish, pulling away a second later with a yelp._

_The fish's sharp scales had pierced the boys skin upon direct contact, causing a frown to mar his pale features as he threw the fishing pole down, fish and all, "Mean fishy!"_

_Sighing softly, his father leaned over and picked the pole back up,_

_"Don't be so cruel, Gray, you could have killed the fish."_

_"But the fishy hurt me! He deserved it!"_

_The boy pouted and stared down at his hand, tears burning the back of his eyes as he stared at the thin line of blood that slowly cascaded down his tiny palm. The wound was nothing more than a mere scratch, but it hurt nonetheless._

_Offering the boy a small smile, his dad carefully removed the fish from the hook before holding it out to his son,_

_"Just because something or someone hurts you doesn't mean you should hurt them back. It gives you the chance to be the bigger person. The fish is just scared. It didn't mean to hurt you. Every life is precious, no matter what they did to you first."_

_The dark blue haired youth looked from his dad to the wiggling fish, a look of hesitation in his bright cobalt eyes,_

_"But... I don't like the fishy..."_

_"I'm sure the fish is sorry, won't you forgive him?"_

_"Forgive...? Why should I?!"_

_The man sighed once more, knowing that if he dragged the conversation on too much longer the creature would die due to suffocation,_

_"Because if you don't forgive you can't move on. If someone is truly sorry for what they did, they should be given another chance."_

_"Well..." Cautiously, the boy took the animal from his dad's hands before leaning down and placing it back in the water, watching with a small smile as the marine creature swiftly swam away, "Alright... I forgive the little fishy... Bye fishy, it was nice to meet you!"_

_Placing his hand lightly on Gray's back, the older man's smile broadened,_

_"Always forgive, Gray, just never forget."_

* * *

Raven locks and the black hood shook slightly as Gray glared at the ground, hating that he allowed his past to penetrate his mind.

"I'm sorry, dad, but there are just some people in life that I can't forgive." His hand raised before him and he stared absent mindedly at his pale palm, clenching and unclenching it repeatedly as he stared at the thin scar that still marred his all-star skin, "I can never forgive Deliora for taking you both away from me. I swear I'll kill the bastard long before I will ever forgive him."

No, he could never even begin to forgive that beast for murdering his parents those seven years ago. His attack was the feather that broke the camel's back, especially because of the events that transpired before that.

He continued his trek slowly, his breathing short and ragged as he fought the rage that exploded within him. How he wanted to see to that jackass's end. But unfortunately the only murder conducted after his parents was in Brago. The damn bastard bombed an entire town.

After that he just disappeared off the map. No one knew his identity, seeing as he killed all the people who had seen his face,besides him.

He was the sole survivor of the serial killer's disgusting antics. However, he doubted that Deliora himself knew that, because when he left the boy was as good as dead. Unluckily for him Gray Fullbuster was nearly impossible to kill.

After walking silently for several more moments he stopped in front of one house, his gaze focusing solely on the cream colored two story building looming before him. He never thought he would see this place again. The place which held countless wonderful memories and one horrid one, a memory that somehow managed to outweight the beautiful ones.

This was his childhood home, the place where he was born and where he nearly died.

* * *

_A sudden loud banging sound jolted the thirteen year old Gray from his slumber, his head whipping from side to side as his blood went cold. What the hell was that?_

_He hesitated for several moments, his blue sheets and blanket pulled up to his chest as he listened closely for a sound, any sound. Several moments passed and he was met with nothing more than the silent of the night._

_Breathing a sigh of relief, the young Raven felt his heart slowly steady itself as he merely shook his head, chuckling lightly to himself,_

_"Must have just been my imagination." He mused._

_He had just laid back down, prepared to once again fade into darkness when suddenly another clashing sound filled the house, however this time it was met with a scream, a scream of which was distinctly his mother's._

_Adrenaline pounded through his body as he swiftly leapt out of bed, cobalt eyes scanning the dark bedroom carefully._

_Only once he was certain it was devoid of danger did he progress out of his bedroom door and into the hallway, his heart pounding harshly as he slowly crept through the long room. Just what the hell was going on?_

_The rational part of his brain was screaming for him to high tail it out of there and seek help whilst the protective and stronger part urged him to go down and see his parents. If they were in danger there was no way he would just leave them, especially if there was a chance that he could save them from whatever was causing them distress._

_As he slowly inched his way down the stairs the boy could just barely make out the sound of muttering in his parent's bedroom, which was located downstairs and to the right. He silently fought the urge to yell to his mother and father, frightened that if he so much as made a sound then the intruder, if that was what was causing such a ruckus, would set his sights on him._

_"Leave my family alone!"_

_That was his dad. He was sure of it._

_"If I did that then my whole escapade here would be in vain, no?" A foreign voice chuckled, the very sound managing to cause a shiver to cascade down his spine._

_"What the hell do you want, you bastard? At least let my wife and child go!"_

_"That would be too boring, besides, now that they know I'm here I can't allow them to live."_

_The voice quieted for a moment before a shrill chuckle resonated throughout the house,_

_"I'll go and wake the little boy up. Can't let him miss all the fun. Here, lady, hold this."_

_A loud, ear piercing scream was the stranger's only response, a scream that Gray just knew belonged to his mother._

_His mind was swiftly removed from the heartwrenching sound when a new noise caught his interest; the undeniable sound of shoes coming closer to his hiding place beside the staircase. SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT!_

_Without wasting a moment the raven ducked behind the hall door._

_Just moments after his decision to hide a shadowy figure passed by where he was just standing seconds prior, a black cloak cascading down his body and a red mask framing his face; a mask that would forever haunt his dreams. It was red with black lining and had demon horns sticking up from it. The mouth of it was open, showing shining white and gleaming sharp teeth. The eyes were black and lifeless and he couldn't help but shiver._

_He looked like a demon. Plain and simple. Never before had be felt so completely and utterly terrified._

_Holding his breath, his watched as the figure hesitated by the staircase, pausing for a few moments before he continued up the stairs, no doubt in search of him. That could only mean that he had mere minutes to get to his parents before the stranger realized that the person of his search was already up and about._

_As soon as he was certain the man was upstairs Gray raced into his parents room, which was directly beside the staircase. He couldn't help but hold his breath as he completely entered the room._

_There sat his mom and dad, both tied up to kitchen chairs, however that was not what caught his interest. Instead it was all the overturned furniture throughout the room (in fact now that he thought about it the foyer was rather messed up too) as well as the red substance that littered the bed and floor. A knife stuck out from his mothers stomach and his dad had his head facing the ground, blood dribbling slowly from wounds lining his head._

_"D-dad...?"_

_Immediately the bound male's head whipped up, worry and slight relief flooding his features as his gaze settled on his son._

_"Gray, you're alright. I am so glad." His voice was hushed, no doubt to ensure that the criminal didn't hear, "You have to go now. Run while you can. Get help."_

_"N-no, I can't..." His voice quivered as he ran up to his parents, tears streaming down his face at the sight before him. This couldn't be happening. There was just no way that this was real. "I'll untie you both. Then we can all leave together."_

_"N-no..." His mother whimpered, her head only moving ever so slightly to look at her son. Her face was unusually pale and her once bright green eyes were now dull and fading, "G-go now... Too late..."_

_"No, come on, we can all get out!"_

_Running over to his parent's nearly lifeless forms, he yanked at the ropes that binded them, his vision blurring as tears ran freely down his pale face._

_"No, there's no time. You only have a few seconds before he realizes that you are up and he will come after you." The elder raven objected, "Go, please Gray, go."_

_"I won't leave you!"_

_"Well, how touching."_

_The breath caught in the boy's throat and he slowly turned around, gulping as he saw the person looming in the doorway. There stood the famous serial killer, Deliora, a red and black demonic mask decorating his face._

_"Don't worry, boy, by the time I'm done you all will be dead."_

* * *

Gray's breathing hardened as he clutched as his chest and tore his gaze away from the house, the memory from that night burning into him once again. There was blood... So much blood... So much pain...

He raced down the road almost as though he was attempting to run from his past and the countless demons it held.

* * *

_A soft whimper escaped the black haired youth as he felt a knife prick his forehead, running along the side._

_"S-stop... Please..."_

_Blood dripped from the wound, causing the boy to close his right eye to keep the fluid from entering it. Pain etched mercilessly throughout his body, his right arm and numerous ribs were shattered. Wounds littered his pale skin, causing red liquid to cascade freely down his person._

_He had been thrown around the room, slamming into the bed post and the window. He found tooth and nail against the male, his torn fingernails proving as much, but he couldn't so much as injure the stranger. Damn it! Why was he so weak? Why was he always so helpless? Maybe Laxus and Gajeel were right the other day about him being pathetic... Maybe Natsu was right to agree and not stand up for him... Maybe he really should just die..._

_"I don't think I will."_

_A slap resounded through the room, causing yet another pained sound to erupt from the boy._

_His teeth clenched and he spared a glance to the side, the urge to vomit growing as he saw his parent's lifeless forms just feet from him. They still sat there, bound to chairs with red blood falling freely from the countless lacerations and mutilations lining their limp forms. He had no idea if they were even still alive, not that it really mattered anyway. He doubted that he himself would last much longer either. At the very least his parents were no longer in pain and soon he would join them in the afterlife._

_He himself was kneeling on the ground, his hands tied behind his back. Deloria stood before him, the mask adorning his face making it impossible to what his expression was. Gray supposed that it was no doubt one of true glee._

_Then he did something that the young boy did not expect, he removed his mask. It was then that he knew there was no way he was making it out of this alive, especially now that he had seen the true face of that monster._

_The man hidden behind the horrible facewear was no doubt in his early thirties with black hair and blue eyes. His kin was pale and a wide, toothy grin lightened his ugly face as he admired his handiwork on the poor child's body._

_"While this is certainly fun I'm afraid I have other matters to tend to, so I'll send you to the same place I did your parents." A low chuckle escaped him, "Bye bye, brat."_

_His now dull blue eyes widened as the other male unsheathed the gun hidden within his cloak. This was the end, he just knew it."_

**_'Bang.'_**

* * *

He blocked out the memories of the pain that bloomed so freely throughout him, not wanting to recall why he had that damned scar above his head. These memories were dangerous and he knew it, yet he couldn't help but allow them to tear at him from the inside out. He clearly could recall every whip, every slap and every stab sent to him and his parents. To this day he still harvested several scars as a reminder of that experience, but at the very least he escaped with his life. He couldn't say the same about his parents.

Feeling his legs grow shaky the raven dropped to his knees by the river, his fingertips subconsciously tracing the scar on his face. Damn it, coming here really wasn't a good idea after all.

Small trembled shook his body as he fought away the tears that attempted to blur his vision, his head falling to rest in his hands as he pressed his palms roughly against his eyelids.

"Are you alright?"

His already uneven breaths hitched at the voice, his teeth clenching even tighter as he determined just who it was behind him,

"L-leave me the hell alone."

The voice snickered before a warm hand came to rest on his shoulder,

"No way in hell, frost breath. Not when you are like this."

"I'm fine..."

"Don't lie to me. No one is ever really fine when they say they are."

"It doesn't matter, Natsu!" His head whipped around to glare at the pinkette crouching beside him, "I don't need your damn pity."

"Good," The other sneered, "Cause you aren't getting any."

Gray knew he was lying.

"Don't antagonize me, dammit. What the hell do you even want? And how did you know I was here?"  
"Well..."

The raven caught Natsu there. He wasn't quite sure how to explain to Gray that he had seen him leaving the house that morning and had decided to follow him in hopes of gaining time to talk to him, maybe even convince him to go back to Fairy Tail. However, the last thing he expected his past comrade to do was to come here of all places. After all, this is where the evil of his past was most vicious.

"I just happened to be walking by and saw you here..."

"Likely story, dumbass."  
"Hey, look, ice queen, I'm trying to help you here."

"How many times do I need to tell you that I don't need your damn help?!"  
"You can tell me as many times as you want but I know you're just being stubborn. Too stubborn for your own good."

Gray bit the bottom of his lip as he forced his gaze away from the older male, his resolve to fight ebbing away with each passing moment. To be completely honest the only thing he wanted was to rest and get his mind away from his past. The dying figures of his parents still lingered in his subconscious, regardless of how hard he tried to make them disappear.

"What do you want, Natsu? You really have some nerve to accuse me of being too stubborn."  
"I want to talk to you."

Moving so he was sitting beside the other, the pink haired male stared at the raven, a small smile tugging at his lips as he was reminded of all the days he and his friend spent dueling here. He never thought he would ever have the opportunity to sit here with him again.

"Well I don't."

"Good, cause I'm doing the talking and you are gonna do the listening, got it?"

Gray hesitated a moment before grunting, but didn't object. Honestly, he figured it would save more time if he just listened to what the flame head had to say before cursing him out with the colorful words he had learned throughout the years.

Smiling slightly the Salamander glanced away from his saddened friend to instead gaze out at the slowly appearing sun,

"It's been a while, huh, snow cone? Since we've sat together like this, I mean."

The ice maker kept his gaze on the grassy ground as he nodded his head slightly,

"It has. Get to the damn point."

"Fine." The pinkette rolled his eyes but obeyed, "I didn't mean anything that I said to you. I didn't... I mean I don't think you're worthless. I just..." He rubbed the back of head, "I mean it was not long after Igneel dissappeared and I wanted to fit in with the only family I had left, you know?"

The other male snorted, but made no further comment.

"Anyway, I know that I should have stood up for you and helped you and all, but I was young and well... I just wanted to be accepted... I didn't want anyone else to leave me like my father and Lisanna did..."

The dark blue haired teen shook his head as he laughed, a hollow laugh completely devoid of any actual humor,

"Funny, it had the opposite affect."

"I know..."

Natsu let out an exasperated sigh. He never had been good at expressing things with words.

"Gajeel and Laxus... They aren't so bad now, ya know? I mean they are still complete assholes, but they are kinder to people now..."  
"I find that hard to believe."

It didn't matter. Nothing mattered. The only thing he remembered was the way they always treated him when he was younger. They constantly bullied him because he wasn't as strong as the others. While they harvested muscles he hit puberty late and merely adorned thin limbs and no fat, making him look like a twig. His being from the north didn't exactly help either... Natsu did nothing to diminish the teasing, if anything he only helped.

"I don't care, Natsu." He mumbled, bringing a leg up to his chest as he avoided the other's gaze, "You're just wasting your breath, hot head. None of this matters to me."  
"Why are you acting like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like you don't care about anything in the world? That Fairy Tail doesn't mean anything to you?"

"I'm not acting."  
"That's bullshit and you know it, frost breath." Natsu sneered, watching the raven intently, "You've always been stubborn as hell but now it's just ridiculous. Cut the crap, I know better than anyone else that you aren't as cold as you seem."

"What does it matter to you, Natsu?" Gray turned to look at the pinkette, his gaze hard, "Why won't you just let it go? Why can't you just finally leave me alone?"  
"You're my rival and best friend, Gray... Or at least you were..."

The dark blue haired teen sighed and shook his head, wanting to be anywhere but here.

"You're too god damn stubborn yourself, Salamander."

"Not as stubborn as you, ice princess?"

Gray gritted his teeth. He absolutely despised that name,

"Are you trying to start something, moron?!"

"Bring it on, good for nothing ice prick!"  
Standing up, Gray narrowed his eyes at the other male, all the anger he felt towards him returning tenfold as he swung at him,

"I'm not the same pushover I was, Natsu, I won't hold back! I'll show you just how much I've grown!"

In turn Natsu smirked and positioned himself for a fight. When words couldn't breech Gray's ice cold defenses than fists always could.

* * *

**Well, this chapter went in a lot of directions. Anyway, more memories concerning Deliora and how he came to be with Ur will come in later on as well as the full details behind why Gray acts like he doesn't like Fairy Tail. Sorry for keeping up the suspense, but I left hints in this so it should help in getting an idea as to what occurred.**

**Reviews:**

**Thank you everyone for reviewing :D They encouraged me to continue on with this chapter~**

_**Sktrgrl13:**_** Oh thanks ^.^ I'm glad you like my Natray stories. As for how he escaped that was dwelled into a bit in this chapter, but what happened to Deliora will come in more later on~ Hopefully this will relieve at least a few of your questions.**

_**Nori of the sea: **_**Gray is always too stubborn for his own good XD But then again so is pretty much everyone in Fairy Tail. I hope this explained more about what happened to him. As for Lyon, ah yes, he's a protective friend. For now their actual relationship is a mystery ;).**

_**DreamscomeTRUEEE: I have to say, I'm guilty of that too. I just love protective Lyon :P. The actual story behind what happened is just being hinted at at the moment though, sorry.**_

_**Rewinsan:**_** This vaguely explained the how and why, kinda?**

**_6purplecats:_ Thank you, I'm glad the chapter was to your liking. Right I'm working on them getting more on speaking terms before their complete history is shown, so bear with me :)**

_**AsDarknessSpreads: **_**Of course, I could never write a story devoid of angst. It's just too fun to write :P. Heh, yeah, I didn't really feel like coming with a complex name, so I went with Silver Surge, but I know how completely ridiculous it sounds XD Oh well. It seems like a lot of people like protective Lyon and I can't help but agree. It's wonderful.**

**There we are~ Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5: Can't catch a break

**Warnings: Violence, cursing, angst, and Yaoi. Don't like, don't read~**

* * *

**_In turn Natsu smirked and positioned himself for a fight. When words couldn't breech Gray's ice cold defenses than fists always could._**

Natsu snickered and dodged the raven's attack, unleashing one of his own, to which the other evaded as well.

Gray growled and struck again, his determination surging as he fought the urge to leave. He was damn tired of running away from the Salamander like a scared little kid. All he did last time was run and it got him no where. Now he refused to flee, instead he would fight and beat the shit out of this cocky bastard once and for all.

A smirk crept onto pale lips as his punch met the pinkette's stomach, rewarding him with a 'umph'.

"Look's like you aren't half bad, snow queen," The fighter cooed before hitting the ice maker with his own kick, which sent him stumbling back, "But you still aren't any match for me! I'm all fired up!"

"Shut the hell up and prove it then, dimwit!" Gray growled, ignoring the pain as he continued his rough attacks against the other man, his adrenaline raging with every moment, "I'm not weak like before. I don't need anyone's help, especially not yours!"  
They continued their rough blows, missing some and hitting others, however their attacks didn't lessen with time, if anything they only harshened. Neither wanted to lose to the other.

"I'm going to knock some sense into you!" The taller man growled, "Maybe than you will just give up already and go back to how you were, ice block!"

Grunting, Natsu wiped a stream of blood from his busted lip. Inwardly he was honestly quite surprised by the ice maker's fighting skills. He supposed that Gray had kept up with his fighting over the years as well, however he still was no match for a world class martial artist. Or at least, that was what the pinkette thought.

"Shut the hell up!" The dark blue haired male slammed his fist into the other's sternum, causing him to step back, "Get this through that thick skull of yours. I am _never_ going to be like I was."

Their brawl lasted for several minutes until finally Gray managed to duck under Natsu's kick. From there he took his chance and grasped the muscular leg before swinging him around and tossing him unceremoniously into the river.

"God dammit, snow cone!" Natsu roared, spitting water from his mouth as he swiftly swam towards the riverbank, "I hate water!"

"Good," The raven sneered, wiping at the blood running down his cheek before crossing his pale arms in defiance, " Are you still so fired up, Natsu? Cause to me you look more watered down."

"Bastard! I'll make you pay for that!"

He trudged out of the water and clenched his fists, glaring daggers at the other male.

He received a snicker in response and the sculptor shook his head,

"It's over, Natsu. Just forget about me. I died, remember, fire breath? Just leave it at that."

"Like hell I will, Gray! You are alive, I can't just ignore that. I could never do that to a friend."

"I am not your friend. I'm just someone you employed." He grumbled and closed his eyes, his hands jamming down into his pants pocket as he turned his back to the pinkette. All his resolve to fight ebbed away and now he just wanted to be alone.

Not sparing the other another look, Gray turned and began walking away.

"No way! I'm not done talking to you, you damn coward!"

"You really haven't changed, have you, bastard? Well I have and it's high time you accepted that. Honestly, you are acting like a child."

"Nah ah!"

The pinkette paused for a moment and mentally slapped himself. Okay, so maybe he was acting just the slightest, tiniest bit like a child, but not without reason! Gray was acting like a stubborn little brat too!

Letting out a low, feral growl, the fighter lunged forward once more and tackled the other male to the ground. With one swift movement he turned the raven so he was laying on his back with the so called dragon slayer straddling him. Tan hands gripped pale wrists and held them above the captured man's head in order to further prevent any attempts of escape. There was no way he was going to let that damn jackass leave yet.

"Natsu..." The ice maker's voice was low and dripping with venom, causing Natsu to suppress the urge to shiver. Never before had the other uttered his name with such irritability and disdain. Maybe he was right after all, this wasn't the Gray he remembered from all those years ago. This man was almost a stranger to him and to be quite honest that scared him.

"Why the hell do you keep trying to run away from everything?!"  
The dark blue haired male gritted his teeth and struggled against the pinkette's strong grip, to no avail. Damn, Natsu really had gotten a lot stronger after all these years. With an irritated huff Gray merely turned his head to the side and stared at the river, his voice low as he hesitantly replied,

"I don't know what the hell you are talking about. I'm not running away from anything, dammit!"

"Really? Because turning your back to me and trying to walk away from the conversation sure looks a hell a lot like you are."

"You're such a damn hypocrite! At least I face my problems, I'm back in Magnolia, aren't I?! You couldn't even do that before!"

"Shut up!" The older male seethed, his eyes clenching shut as he visibly trembled. From what exactly, he wasn't certain. Rage surged within him, however hurt was also apparent, however he went with the latter. Gray was just spouting nonsense. After all, the past was the past and he couldn't do anything about it now... right?

"Just shut the hell up already! You keep saying that!"

"Then just leave me alone."

Tentatively, emerald eyes opened to meet cold cobalt ones, feeling his heart twist painfully as he noticed the solemn and empty look in those blue pools. That was the look of a man who had been through more hell than anyone his age, hell, anyone of any age should have to endure. The salamander only wished that he knew just what exactly those orbs had seen; just how much pain their master had experienced in the last 7 year.

But unfortunately it seemed as though his eyes were about as lifeless as his entire being, making it so he shielded himself from the world.

Slowly, the pinkette felt his resolve to fight lessen as his gaze instead turned to rest on the scar marring the other's porcelain forehead.

_What could have caused that? What could have managed to freeze this boy's heart to such a painful extent?_

"Gray..."

_Was he truly the one responsible? Was he the reason why Gray experienced so much grief and agony?_

Natsu's attention was swiftly ripped away from Gray as his superior hearing made out the sound of foot steps nearing them. Instinctively he leapt up from his position over the ice maker and whirled around, swallowing a groan as he saw just who was standing before him. A pointed glare was directed straight at him from the new individual and he offered him a small, innocent smile. Damn it...

"Really, brat,you just can't stay out of trouble, can you?" Makarov sighed, shaking his head before bopping the complaining dragon slayer on the head, "I was hoping to just take a nice and relaxing walk before classes and what do I find? You fighting yet again with a citizen." He tched.

Why of all people did it have to be _him_ that found them like this? He knew that he would now be in a boat load of trouble, seeing as it was just the day before that this very same man had scolded him for starting another fight with Sting, a fighter from the Sabertooth dojo. He had said something along the lines of ' You shouldn't use your skills for personal brawls' and how it 'went against the policy of the Fairy Tail dojo', although he wasn't really listening at the time. That smug bastard deserved it.

"It's not my fault, gramps!" He grumbled, crossing his arms as he pouted. ignoring the steady stream of water that dripped from his hair and into his face, swiftly mixing with the blood smeared across his cheeks from a few, small cuts, "He started it!"

The Fairy Tail master simply sighed once more,

"I don't care who started it, I am ending it." He looked over at the other male, suppressing the urge to face palm. This would just prove to provide even more paperwork that he would have to tend to from the Magnolia police department, that is, if the other male was set on pressing charges, "I apologize for this loudmouth's act-..."

His voice cut off as he studied the other closer, his eyes widening...

"Oh dear Mavis..."

Gray, on the otherhand, felt his breath catch in his throat and a cold feeling clenched his stomach as he stared at the all too familiar elder before him. If meeting Natsu wasn't hell than seeing this person again certainly was.

Damn it, god dammit all! This was not happening, this was NOT who he thought it was!

Instinctively, the raven reached down to his neck to pull the hood back up to cover his head, only to curse inwardly at himself at the realization that he was no longer wearing it. At some point during the brawl he had lost it, so instead he stood there before the Fairy Tail master clad in nothing more than his black jeans and sneakers.

"Gray..." Makarov whispered, stepping closer to the familiar looking teen, "Is that you...? Dear boy..."

Yes, the elder was certain of it. He may be old, but he certainly wasn't dumb. He would recognize that head of raven locks and sword necklace anywhere. One of his children that he thought he had lost long ago was _back._

Their eyes met for several moments as silence overtook them.

Not knowing what else to do, the dark blue haired youth finally ceased fighting his instincts and did the one thing he was best at.

He grabbed his hoodie and ran.

"Wait! Gray! Come back here now!"

He could hear both Natsu and Makarov calling him, demanding for him to come back, but he only sped up.

There was no way in hell he was facing any more of the people from his childhood.

* * *

"Natsu!" The old man swiftly turned to look at the pinkette, disbelief clouding his wrinkled features, "That was Gray? You were fighting with Gray?!"

The salamander nodded slightly before swiping both sweat and blood from his face with his forearm,

"Yeah, that was him alright, gramps."

He earned another smack on the head.

"Ow, what the hell was that for, gramps?!"

"Why didn't you tell me earlier that Gray was here, brat?! How long have you known he was still alive?!"

"Not long," Natsu assured, "I just found out the other day myself..."

Suddenly everything in the old master's mind clicked.

"Is that why you asked about him?"

His only response was a nod.

"Then... Where has he been all these years? Why didn't he return to Fairy Tail?" His eyes narrowed, "And why were you fighting with him?"

"Well..." The younger boy rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as he contemplated how precisely he wanted to phrase everything that had occurred between himself and Gray, including the last few days and the day before he disappeared, "He... Damn it, he didn't want to come back to Fairy Tail because he felt it wasn't his home anymore and it's all my fault."

The gray haired master studied the boy for a moment before clasping his hands back behind his back and turned around, starting to walk towards the dojo,

"First you are going to dry off before you catch a cold and then you are going to explain to me why exactly it's your fault that Gray left. Do I make myself clear, brat?"

"A-aye..."

* * *

**I'm kinda alright with how this turned out... Oh well, fighting scenes aren't exactly my forte, but I suppose it turned out well enough. **

**Anyway that aside, the full story as to what happened between Natsu and Gray will be explained next chapter and I apologize for prolonging their getting together for the last few chapters, I just wanted to set the atmosphere a bit more. I'm also not one of those authors that plans everything out ahead of time, so this is just coming out as I think it up XD Not to worry though, their next encounter will be much more eventful and somewhat more heartfelt.**

**On a side note, the newest chapter of Fairy Tail was amazing, although they the name of the chapter didn't fit so well with what happened -_- I wanted Gray to make some big comment about how Silver was his dad, like the name suggested, but instead he just basically kidnapped him (which was amazing and hilarious, don't get me wrong)... Ah well... I look forward to how Natsu will react to that, that is, if he actually is shown to outwardly react.**

**On to the review responses!**

**_DreamscomeTRUEEE:_I'm glad XD Because that may or may not have been part of what happened ;)**

**_AsDarknessSpreads:_ Yes, Gray has been through quite a bit so far in his life. Poor thing... But at least things will start looking up... Eventually... As for running away, he was more dwelling on his anger. All his life he had been running away from his past, so he finally had enough and decided to try to stand up to one of the demons he tried to forget. I also see you are a LyRay lover, I am too~ But honestly, your comment made me laugh. It's funny to see you analyzing the characters, although I'm glad you like it :D.**

**_Rewinsan:_ Sorry, I wasn't aware that I made that scene that scary. How exactly Gray did manage to survive that will be addressed later on though~**

**_Nori of the sea:_ Yeah, bullying is unacceptable in any manner. Regardless of if Natsu actually did the bullying or merely goaded it on, though that will be explained more in depth next time~**

**_G. Night:_ Aw, I'm sorry! *hands tissue***

**_ .oO:_ Thank you ^.^ I'm glad you liked that chapter :D**

**_Daddys little crazy bitch:_ Thank you, I'm glad :)**

**_mooney-996:_ Yay, thank you!**

**Summer's finally here, so I will be updating more often! Hopefully! Next to update is 'To thaw a frozen heart'. Thanks everyone for reading! **


	6. Chapter 6: Natsu's tale

**Warnings: Violence, Yaoi, Potential OOC, un-betaed (for the most part) and cursing.**

_**Italics means memories or, in one instance, thoughts. **_**The two are easily distinguishable by context, though. Enjoy~**

"So... Care to tell me what the hell happened to you?"

Gray sighed and rolled his eyes, his gaze landing on anyone but Lyon, who was busily tending to the wounds he had accumulated during his brief, yet effective brawl with the annoying pinkette. He had originally passed it off as no big deal, to which the other merely grumbled and insisted on looking at his cuts and bruises nonetheless.

"Not particularly..." The raven murmured, wincing visibly as he felt added pressure on the wound the silverette was currently tending to on his chest, "Hey, jackass, be careful..."

"Just shut up and be grateful. Really, Gray, I thought you stopped picking fights with people back when we were with Ur."

"The bastard started it..." He grunted, uncaring as to how childish he sounded at the moment. After all, the flame brain was just asking for it! You don't just stalk someone and refuse to leave them alone without expecting some kind of repercussion. What he did was only justice, or at the very least, that was his defense.

"Who did you even get into a fight with? And where did you go this morning? By the time I woke up your bed was empty."

The dark blue haired boy shrugged slightly,

"I was out. Decided to take a walk, ya know? Then..." His voice trailed off for a moment as he sighed and finally glanced over at his comrade, who's gaze was glued to his wounds as he continued carefully mending to them, "I had a run in with Natsu..."

Immediately, Lyon glanced up from his work and rose an eyebrow, a silent order for him to continue,

"He wouldn't leave me the hell alone, so we got into a fight... The damn ash for brains doesn't know how to take a hint."

Huffing, the elder ice maker finished taping the last of the bandages onto the raven's chest before setting his sights solely on the male in front of him.

"I was afraid that was what happened..." He ran a hand through silver locks, "Damn it, Gray, next time don't leave without me. It looks like he got you pretty good. You have scrapes, bruises and a cracked rib... Or maybe it's broken... Hell, I don't know, I'm not a freaking doctor, and that's just what's on your sternum."

"Sorry..."  
"You better damn well be." He sighed and shook his head, "At the very least tell me you got a few good hits on him."

Instantly a smug grin ghosted across the raven's face at the other's question,

"Like hell I did. He was in about as good a shape as I'm in now, hell, maybe even worse."

That news caused an equally smug simper to appear on Lyon's face and they each raised a clenched fist before bumping them together,

"At least your good for something, streaker."

"What's that supposed to mean, you damn albino?!"

A moment of silence passed between the two before they both burst out into simultaneous laughter.

"Just be careful next time. I won't always be so nice as to clean you up every time you decide to act like a bastard and start a fight."

"Yeah yeah, I guess I should thank you or some shit like that, so, thanks..."

The elder ice maker grunted in acknowledgement before packing up the first aid kit and standing up,

"Come on, you've wasted enough time. We need to get back to work."

"Right..."  
With a huff Gray stood back up and stretched out his sore limbs, groaning softly as his injuries caused him slight discomfort. Damn it, now he wouldn't be able to move as swiftly and Lyon was sure to give him hell about it. It was all thanks to that stupid flame head.

He hesitated a moment, his gaze drifting to the far window as the image of the Salamander cluttered his head. That day's conversation and memories still draped over him, ruthlessly tugging at his heart. His old master had seen him and recognized him, that he was certain of. Great, now his plan to remain incognito was really going down the drain. He just hoped that the old man would leave him alone.

Countless questions coursed throughout him, giving him a headache, however there was one question that stood out from all the other chaos brutalizing his mind.

Was Natsu really telling him the truth?

For some reason a part of him desperately hoped that he was.

* * *

"Now," The master began, his eyes narrowed at the pinkette before him, who had finally dried off, had his injuries checked out and arrived at his office, "Explain to me what happened today."

"Well..." Natsu allowed himself a moment to pause as he stared down at his brown sandal clad feet, not exactly thrilled to have to recount everything that happened both today and years ago to his grandpa, "I woke up and fed Happy fish, 'cause you know he can never seem to get enough of those things. After that I went to that cool new restaurant named Mermaid Peel or something a few blocks down, but I was kicked out. Apparently starting three fights within the course of a week is 'ill mannered and unbefitting of a prestigious restaurant' or some shit like that. Then I came here early and totally kicked Gajeel's ass, as usual." He smirked at the memory, "Then I..."  
"Dear Mavis, child, I don't care about any of that! Tell me what happened right before I found you fighting with that boy! Although, we will talk about you starting fights again at Mermaid Heel at a later date."

He gave the Salamander one of his rare harsh glares and the younger boy gulped. He knew that his grandfather was very serious at the moment, so prattling on about nonsense like he was was not a very good idea. He was met with no other option than to finally deal with the mistakes of the past and come clean.

"Okay, okay... Well... You know how I told you that I had hired ice sculptors to come and make the decorations for the ball Luce and I are having in a few days?"

Makarov nodded.

"One of them was Gray... I didn't recognize him at first, but there is only one person in the world who can get me angry just by looking at him, so that was how I knew he was the damn ice basta- I mean Gray."

His gaze flickered from the floor to the older male, an awkward silence settling throughout the small office and soon Natsu found himself absentmindedly threading his fingers through pink locks. The typical school themed chair seemed to become increasingly uncomfortable as he fought for the nerve to continue the tale, however he couldn't bring himself to look directly at the master, who sat formally behind the desk in front of him. The poor fighter could only hope that his grandfather did not think ill of him after he confessed to the one thing that he had hated himself for for the past seven years.

"I'm waiting, Natsu."

"Yeah, I know." He sighed, "I tried talking to the blockhead as soon as I found out who he really was, but he refused to listen to me. Then I followed him this morning. I was a ninja!" He simpered smugly, "He didn't even know I was there until I started talking to him! Then... We started yelling and then... We started fighting... But the ice prick started it!"

"That isn't descriptive, Brat." The white haired man clasped his hands on the wooden desk and stared at the fidgeting boy, "At least tell me why you two were fighting and why he thinks Fairy Tail isn't his family anymore."

Here it was. The question that he had been attempting to evade since the talk began.

"Okay... I'll start from seven years ago..."

* * *

_"Is that the best you can do, pipsqueak?" Gray teased, a supercilious look on his face as he smirked down at the pinkette, who was on his knees, his breaths coming out in rough, shaky pants, "Can't take the great Gray? Not that I blame you."_

_"Shut the hell up, ice bastard." The scarf clad boy grumbled as he managed to stand back up, his fists clenched as he glared heatedly at his opponent, "I can take you any day, no sweat."_

_"Then prove it, Salamander" He mocked the name, "'cause so far you only seem to know how to fall down."  
"I'll show you! GRR!"_

_Without warning Natsu jumped at the raven and tackled him to the ground. Immediately limbs thrashed as the two fumbled around, neither willing to submit to the other and thus the boys routine brawl continued. Every day, several times a day, the two would find themselves engaging in rough matches, however they were always solely playful. In fact, Natsu and Gray were unspoken best friends._

_"That is enough, brats!" An irritated voice growled, causing both teens to pull away from their glare to look at the master, who stood before the two with an annoyed look on his old face, "You have already caused a mess in the gym!"_

_"He started it!" The two yelped simultaneously, both turning to point at the other, "Me?! Oh hell no!"  
The master couldn't help but let out a low chuckle at the boys childish antics,_

_"Just go and get changed, brats. That's enough for today."  
"But I'm not done! Come on! Fight me, Gramps!"_

_Rolling his eyes, the master stepped forward and, faster than either could see, he slammed his fist onto the top of the pinkette's head, effectively knocking him flat to the floor._

_"Okay..." He gagged, his voice muffled by the mat on the floor, "We'll get changed..."_

_"Good." With that the elder nodded and turned, disappearing up the stairs._

_"When will you learn to stop picking fights with people you can't handle, idiot?" Gray groaned, yanking at the other's scarf in order to pry him up from the ground, "Ugh, get up, dammit."  
"You get up!" The young Salamander mumbled as he begrudgingly repositioned himself on his knees._

_"What the hell? I'm the one standing up, moron!"_

_"Whatever... I still won our fight anyway."_

_"Keep dreaming, half wit, I totally won."_

_"As if!"_

_Feuding, the rivals trekked into the familiar locking room and quieted down as they went to their own individual lockers, which just so happened to be across from each other, and began changing from their training clothes._

_It was when they were almost finished that they heard the sound of foot steps enter the large room._

_Rolling his eyes, Gray ignored the noise as he slipped his plain blue t-shirt on and leaned down to work on lacing up his shoes. He had a pretty good idea as to who it was that entered and there was no way in hell he was going to hang out in here much longer. Maybe if he could just make it out in time they would leave him alone this time..._

_"Well, well, what do we have here?"_

_Or maybe not.._

_The raven took a deep breath and closed his cobalt eyes before looking up from his shoe to the two forms that were looming over his crouching person,_

_"What the hell do you two want?"_

_Hesitantly, the black haired boy stood up and glared at the two intimidating older males, his face hiding the fear he felt. He had hoped that today he would be lucky enough to escape their teasing and bullying, but of course he had been stupid to think as much. They **never** left him alone, no matter how many times he asked and demanded for them to._

_"You really don't learn your lesson, do you, shrimp?" Gajeel jeered, leaning down so his face was only inches from the younger boy's, "Then we'll just have ta remind ya. Gehehe." _

_Without warning the ice obsessed boy felt a fist plant itself firmly into his abdomen, which caused him to instantly cough and clutch at his stomach. Blood pooled in his mouth from where he bit his tongue and it took all his control to hold back a whimper and withhold the neutral expression on his face._

_"Is that the best you can do?" His voice came out in a low croak.  
"Look's like the jackass has attitude." Laxus sneered, a haughty tone to his voice as he stepped closer to the wounded raven, "Haven't you learned to just pipe down and take it like a good boy?"_

_"G-go to hell!"_

_Using all the strength he could muster, the boy swung at the blonde, only to release a high pitched yelp as his arm was harshly grasped and squeezed. Tears sprung to his eyes as it was twisted and pushed behind his back. Compared to the older teens he was small and weak, making it so no matter how hard he tried he could never seem to fend them off. He hated himself for that; for his uncanny and despicable inability to protect himself,_

_"S-Stop it! Damn it!"  
"Why should I?" The blonde, older male purred, a low chuckle resounding from him at the pain inflicted upon the younger boy, "Make me. Oh wait, you can't. You're too weak."_

_The raven let out a small groan of compliant as he was slammed mercilessly against his locker, his chest and cheek taking the blunt of the shove. They would merely add to the list of bruises marring his porcelain skin._

_"Hey, cut it out you guys!"_

_The blonde and long haired raven turned their attention from antagonizing the youngest among them to instead look at their step brother, who stood uncertainly a few feet from them. The pinkette seemed to be inwardly arguing with himself, not sure whether or not he should get involved._

_"You mean you are actually standing up for this pathetic freak?" The lightening scarred teen chuckled, turning to completely face the nervous Salamander, "I knew you were idiotic, Natsu, but not to this level. Maybe we should treat you just like this loser."_

_Immediately the boy gulped and shook his head,_

_"N-no way! Why the hell would I stand up for that moron? I... I just meant that you shouldn't waste your time on him..."_

_"Oh? So he isn't your friend then?"_

_Pleading cobalt eyes met emerald ones as Natsu spared a glance at the raven, who was now being held against the locker by Gajeel. A moment of silence passed before the salmon haired boy finally tore his gaze from his rival and looked down at the floor,_

_"No... He's not..."_

_A sly smile crept onto Laxus's face as he nodded smugly and once again turned to look at the ice lover, who held a disbelieving look on his face. _

_"Then hit him."_

_Natsu blinked,_

_"Huh...?"_

_"If he's not your friend and you don't like him then you will have no problem hitting him, right? Or are you lying to us?"_

_"N-No! Of course I'm not lying to you! I'll show you how much I hate the damn ice bastard!"_

_Gray couldn't help but stare at his so called friend as he felt his heart drop and tears spring to his eyes again. What did he mean they weren't friends? Of course they were... Right? They might have been rivals, but they were practically best friends! Why was Natsu saying this...? Why was he lying? Why was he betraying him...?_

_"Natsu...?" His voice was soft and almost cracking._

_He watched silently as the pierced man shoved him forward so that he was facing the pinkette, who adopted his step brother's smug grin as he raised his fist towards the boy._

_"Did I say you could say my name, scum?" He glanced over his shoulder at his two brothers, who merely cheered him on with an encouraging nod, "You're so damn spineless, Gray."_

_"What...? Why the hell are you saying this?!"_

_"Because you're pathetic." A tan fist connected with a pale cheek and the raven found himself stumbling back slightly at the blow._

_Sure the boy were accustomed to fighting with one another, however it was always either playful or for training. They never aimed to actually wound one another like Natsu was now. Countless thoughts resounded throughout the raven's mind as he focused on the pain pulsing in his cheek, pain that was delivered by an individual that he thought he was safe with. _

_While the pinkette never helped him with fighting off his two brothers he never actually dealt a hand to the physical nor mental bullying he received. If anything he merely stood off to the side and goaded them on half- heartedly. But now... Now things had gone too far. Now the so called fire dragon slayer was no better than the other bastards who had nothing better to do than insult and injure him. _

_Gray bit his lip as his head lowered and his expression was covered by his black bangs,_

_"So that's how you feel, Natsu?" He shook his head, "Go to hell. All of you... Just rot in hell..."  
"Looks like the pipsqueak has got sass." Gajeel smirked, appearing behind the ice fond boy before delivering a harsh kick to his back, which sent him tumbling to the ground. The boy didn't even let out a sound as his head connected with the edge of the lockers and his vision wavered._

_"He's so weak. He gives Fairy Tail a bad name. I swear, Gramps is making this place a joke. Once he finally retires and leaves me in charge I'll get rid of all the losers like him and make this place actually worth something. It'll be the strongest gym in Fiore like it should be."_

_The blonde adjusted the coat that hung leisurely from his shoulders before turning to look at his grinning brother,_

_"Come on, Gajeel, we're just wasting our time here." _

_Laxus shot the barely conscious boy a glare as he stalked over to him and kicked him in the gut, simpering at the pained expression that crossed Gray's face,_

_"Just leave Fairy Tail already. No one wants you here. Isn't that right, Natsu?"_

_The pinkette bit the corner of his lip before staring back down at the brown floor,_

_"Right..."_

_"See? Not even your so called best friend cares about whether you're here or not."  
_

_He scoffed before turning to leave,_

_"You coming, brat?"_

_Immediately Natsu nodded and went to follow his two older step brothers, but before he turned the corner to leave the large room he cast his rival one last glance. He seemed to have managed to pry himself off of the ground and appeared to be nursing a wound he had sustained on his head, although the look on his pale face was what grabbed his attention and proved to be one that he would never forget. It was the look of complete and utter hatred and betrayal. It was an expression he never, ever, wanted pointed at him. _

_That was the expression of a boy who's trust was **shattered**. _

_What made it worse was that Natsu knew that he was the cause for it._

_Uncertain as to what to say and not wanting his brothers to get upset, the pink haired boy sent his friend an apologetic look before leaving the locker room to catch up with his family. He would just have to apologize to his friend later, I mean, he would forgive him, right? He always did, so why would it be any different this time? After all, Gray Fullbuster just could never seem to hate Natsu Dragneel. The next time he saw the boy he would beg for his forgiveness._

_Unfortunately for him, that was the last time he saw his best friend._

* * *

As the Salamander finished his tale he could vaguely feel the narrowed eyes glaring holes into his skull, however he held neither the urge nor the initiative to glance up at his grandfather.

"That's what happened..."  
Silence filtered throughout the office as neither party decided to talk. It was only after what felt like hours of the uncomfortable quiet that the master spoke once more, his tone firm and authoritative,

"Why was I not told of his incident before?"

Bringing a hand up, Natsu rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as he fidgeted from one side of the chair to the other,

"I was going to tell you... Really, I was... I was going to tell you after I apologized to Gray, but then he disappeared and I... I didn't want my brothers to get mad at me for betraying them and tattling..." His eyes closed in shame, "I know what I did was fucked up and if I could I would beat the hell out of my younger self for doing that to family, but..." He voice trailed off before another sentence began, "It was right after Igneel disappeared... I.. I just didn't want to be abandoned by the rest of my family... I didn't want them to think of me like they thought of Gray..."

Makarov shook his head sadly and closed his eyes, a low sigh escaping him,

"How long did this go on for?"

"A few months after Gray first joined the guild, so around 2 years, though the damn ice block refused to tell anyone else about it. I'm pretty sure Laxus, Gajeel and I were the only ones who knew about it."

" Dear boy, I had no idea that was going on... I will speak to Laxus and Gajeel about this and punish them accordingly." He glanced up at the pinkette, causing the boy to gulp, "As for you, I'll inform you of your punishment later. However there is one thing you clearly must do. I do not care how you go about it as long as it is completed correctly."

The master stood up from his chair and clasped his hands behind his back as he turned away from his grandson,

"Make amends with Gray. I'll go and talk to the boy myself as well."

"No!"

The white haired man sent the other male a questioning look, to which he received a determined stare,

"Don't. He told me not to tell anyone else that he is here... Let me win him back and bring him back here... I promise you that I will get him to come back to us!"

The master was prepared to argue, however the determination and regret glinting in emerald eyes was enough to convince him to back down. Natsu was serious about making it up to Gray and he saw no reason to get involved in a matter that he had no business stepping into. So long as he followed through with his vows Makarov would allow him to take control and clean up the mess he made seven years ago.

"Very well, my boy, though I am very disappointed in you." His gaze hardened, "I have half a mind to ban you from the upcoming Grand MMA games.-"

The pink haired man paled,

"-However, I won't. We need you three if we want to hold any chance of winning it again. I'll come up with an even crueller idea instead."

A malicious smirk crept onto the old man's face as he hid his expression from the tan fighter. Now he just had to come up with a fitting punishment for the three scoundrels. Thus the punishment game would begin.

* * *

The raven let out a small groan as he stalked through the familiar streets of Mongolia once more. The sun was now just beginning to disappear behind the horizon and the ice maker was already completely exhausted. He had been working all day and now wanted nothing more than to go to sleep.

"Where the hell are we even going, Lyon? I'm tired of walking."

The white haired male rolled his eyes as he cast a sideways glance at his comrade, who seemed to be unconsciously stripping off his shirt,

"Stop stripping and complaining," He smirked at the surprised expression that clouded the other boy's face at the realization that he was, in fact, removing his clothes, "and we've only been walking for ten minutes. Maybe if you stopped getting into fights you would be able to walk further without getting sore."  
"Oh shut up, jackass, I asked where we were going, not for lip."  
"If you really must know we ar-..."

"Well look what we have here, If it isn't Gray Fullbuster. I thought you were dead!." A voice jeered from behind the two boys, which served to effectively cut the white haired male off and caused the raven to stiffen before reluctantly sparing a glance over his shoulder.

Standing just feet away from Lyon and himself were two men, one with short black hair that covered one of his eyes while the other had spiky blonde hair with a scar on the right hand side of his forehead. To say that he was startled by the appearance of these men would be an understatement, although it was rather a nice surprise.

"Hey, Sting, Rogue, long time no see."  
He received a nod in response from Rouge and a grin from Sting,

"Tell me about it. What are you doing here?"

Gray smiled slightly and shrugged before stuffing his hands in the pockets of his black jeans,

"Well that's kind of a long story... Right now we're just looking for a place to get dinner..."  
The silverette glanced from the blonde to the raven, an emotionless mask on his pale face as he studied the strangers before he sent a quizzical glance to his fellow artist,

"Friends of yours?"

He nodded,

"Yeah, you could say that. Rogue and Sting were sort of friends of mine back in middle school. Then we went to different high schools and I left Magnolia, so it's been a while..."  
The raven jumped as he felt an arm being slung around his shoulders before he was pulled against a coat covered chest and bare midriff,

"You know it has! It's been too long!" Sting's grin widened before turning to face Lyon, "Who are you? Gray's boyfriend?"

Immediately a blush crept onto both ice maker's faces,

"W-what?! No! Why do you think that?! We just work together..." Gray stuttered, inwardly cursing at himself for the blush that he was certain was apparent on his cheeks.

"Oh, well a friend of Gray's is a friend of ours. What did you say your name was?"

The elder of the two artists sighed and crossed his arms,

"I didn't, but my name is Lyon."

"Lyon, nice to meet you!"

"Sting, stop acting so childish..." Rouge muttered, rolling his eyes at his brother's behavior.

"Don't be such a spoil sport, Rouge. Come on, I know the perfect place for us all to eat dinner and catch up!"

"Hey! I don't remember inviting you to eat with us!" The raven grumbled as he was yanked forward by the blonde.

Oblivious to the other's words, the scarred man continued his trek forward, his hand wrapped snugly around his old friend's wrist. Soft footsteps trailed behind them, letting both men know that their other friends were following close behind.

"Wow Gray, I didn't know you were so popular." Lyon teased as he and Rogue followed behind them,

"Yeah, neither did I..."

_I guess it will be alright to only let them know I'm back... Besides, its not like they are really on speaking terms with any of Fairy Tail or it's members... I'm sure they will keep the secret for me..._

Pushing his thoughts and worries aside, Gray allowed a small smile to slip past his defenses as he turned to look at his friends. Maybe being back in his hometown wasn't such a bad thing after all.

If only he knew how much trouble coming back to his past would really bring him.

* * *

** There we go! Another chapter down! Albeit, it's not one of my best and I can't say I'm completely thrilled with it I think it fits well enough. Next chapter the real plot with come into play (yes, there actually is a plot to this besides rekindling friendships). **

**I actually meant to post this a few days ago, but with Father's day, my birthday, my sister's birthday and my dad's birthday on Sunday things got a bit hectic. **

**That aside, I hope this helped answer the question as to what happened between Natsu and Gray that ruined their friendship. Later on it will also dwell more into the reasoning behind why Natsu did what he did.**

**Oh, I almost forgot! This is an important thing! I have only watched the Fairy Tail anime and am on episode 140, which, for the people that don't remember what part that is, it is right during the 'Key to the starry heavens arc'. To be specific it is literally right before they fight Oracion seis for the second time. **

**It is because of that that I have only a vague idea as to Rogue and Sting's personalities, so they will probably be pretty OOC. I wasn't originally planning on using them, but I couldn't think of any other characters to fill their roles, so, sorry 'bout that.**

**Now, on to the review responses!**

**_AsDarknessSpreads:_ That's a good way to get more into a story ^.^ I do the same thing most of the time. As for Gray pairings, I have to agree. I ship a lot of guys with Gray, although my main two being Lyon and Natsu. Given, in this story Natsu does deserve to have some sense beaten into him... Anyway, your reviews always make me smile XD Thank you for reviewing!**

**_Daddys little crazy bitch:_ Thank you, I'm glad you like it :) Thank you for reviewing!**

**_Strife 134:_ Thank you, I'm really happy to hear that you like it ^.^ Thank you for reviewing and I hope you like the new chapter!**

**_ .oO:_ There we have it! The explanation as to what happened! I hope it answers all your questions and is seen as satisfactory :P. Thanks for reviewing!**

**Thank you everyone for reviewing, following and favoring! It means a lot to me that people like what I write and it motivates me to continue! See ya!**


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